Material unloader



Sept i3, H949., R. E. EXUM MATERIAL UNLOADER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledMarch 19, 1946 n@ QQ Ray ATTORNEY Sept., w, w49. R. E. r-:xUM

MATERIAL UNLOADER 4 Sheets-sheet 4 Filed March 19, 1946 INVENTOR'KaymondEZ/zam BY M Patented Sept. 13, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT )FFICEMATERIAL UNLOADER Raymond E. Exum, East Orange, N. J., assignor toAllied Chemical & Dye Corporation, a corporation of New York ApplicationMarch 19, 1946, Serial No. 655,579

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to material unloaders, and more particularly tocoal unloaders for hopper bottom railroad cars to elTeCt discharge ofthe coal through the gate-controlled bottom openings of the cars.

In the transportation and delivery of coal in railroad hopper cars, formany causes, of which wet and freezing weather may be mentioned asexamples, the coal becomes packed to such extent that it will not movetoward and from the hopper discharge openings, resisting gravitationalmovement towards the outlets of the hoppers. Coal unloaders, heretoforesuggested to take the place of workmen using crow-bars and pneumaticdrills on the top of the coal until the coal loosens and slides, withconsequent danger to the workmen, have been of complicated andcumbersome design, in some cases involving pneumatic hammers andrequiring several passes of the mechanism `back and forth along thelength of the car, to effect reasonably complete discharge of the coalfrom the full width of the car.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a coalunloader, simple in design and construction, and, therefore, of lowinitial cost, requiring low maintenance costs, and highly efcient inoperation, particularly in that it effects substantially completedischarge of coal, usually requiring a minimum number of passes of theunloader along the length of the car so to do.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description thereof.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification andshowing, for purposes of exemplication, a preferred embodiment of thisinvention, without limiting the claimed invention to such illustrativeinstance:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a coal unloader embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the coal unloader of Figure 1,the blade member being shown in elevated position;

Figure 3 is an end elevational View of the coal unloader of Figures 1and 2, the telescopic supports for the blade member which is shown inits lowered position being fragmentarily shown to enable the showing ofthe remaining parts of this figure on a larger scale than wouldotherwise be possible.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through a telescopic support for the blademember, this figure being on an enlarged scale as compared with theother gures of the drawing and having the blade member and two of thetelescopic sections fragmentarily shown to enable the showing of theremaining portions on a larger scale than would otherwise be possible;and

Figure 5 is an end elevational view, somewhat diagrammatic in character,showing the position of the unloader relative to a railway car.

Referring to Figure 5 of the drawing, l0 indicates conventional railroadtracks on which travel a railway car Il of the hopper-bottom or othertype commonly used for transportation of coal. A suitable structuralframework bridging the tracks l0, made of spaced channel bars l2,suitably braced and desirably provided with a roof i3, is provided atthe coal unloading station. Rails Iii on which the carriage Il of theunloader travels are mounted on the sides of this structural framework,near the top thereof. A platform I8 having a handrail I9 is secured toone side of this structural framework from which platform an operatormay have ready access to the cab 2i! depending from the carriage Il.

As disclosed in Figure 1, the carriage Il consists of longitudinallyextending channel bars 2|, 22 and transverse channel bars 23, 24suitably fastened at their ends and braced by braces 25. A pair oflongitudinally extending axles or shafts 26, 21 are suitably journalledin this carriage and have, keyed thereon for rotation therewith, wheels28 adapted to travel on tracks I6. To maintain the wheels in rmengagement with the tracks I6, the carriage l1 is provided withdepending extensions 29 (Figure 2) at each of the four corners thereof,and each having mounted thereon a roller or wheel 30 engaging theunderside of the track I6.

Each of the axles 25 and 2l are arranged to be rotated to eiect rotationof the wheels 28 so that the carriage may be moved longitudinally on thetracks I6 relative to the c ar positioned therebeneath for unloadingpurposes. Thus the axle 26 may be rotated by motor 3| (Figure 1)suitably mounted on the carriage and driving, through a gear reducer 32of conventional design, gearing 33, which effects rotation of shaft 23.In like manner a motor 34 drives through gear reducer 35, gearing 36,which effects rotation of shaft 2l.

A blade 31 of a Width slightly less than that of the width of therailroad car H, so that it can enter the car and extend across the fullwidth thereof, except lfor small clearance between the ends of the bladeand the side walls of the car, is mounted on the carriage I1 formovement in a downward direction, into the body of coal in the cartherebeneath, and in an upward direction to the bottom of the car andeffecting its discharge therethrough. Due to the use of the telescopicsections supporting the blade 31, the blade moves in a vertical plane.By properly positioning the carriage l'I-relative to the car Iltherebeneath, the blade may be caused to enter the car at one endthereof, so that by moving the carriage Il' away from this end of thecar, substantially complete discharge of the coal in the car iseffected. Furthermore, as above indi-cated, the blade has a tendency tosettle completely through the charge of coal to the bottom of the carand, by actuation of the carriage, to follow the contour vof the bottomof the car, thereby effecting substantially complete removal of the coalfrom the car. After the coal has been removed from the car, the carriagemay be moved to its starting position by operating the motors 3l, 34 ina reverse direction. Air under pressure is then admitted to the manifold66, :the blade being in its lower position and the motors 3|, 34 againenergized to cause the carriage l1 to travel in a directionlongitudinally of the car so that the dust and nes are blown from thebottom of the car into and through the discharge opening.

It will be noted the unloader of this invention is simple in design andconstruction, involving, las it does, (a) telescopic sections supportingthe blade 3l, which telescopic sections are guided in sleeves 42, 43fastened to the carriage, and (b) a motor drive for elevating the lbladeonly, the blade dropping by gravity through the lcoal in the car. Inpractice, it has been found that with the construction disclosed,suiicient momentum is imparted lto the blade before it strikes the 4coalcharge to embed itself deeply into the coal charge, even when coalsubjected to freezing temperatures is being unloaded, and thatsubstantially complete Idischarge of the coal from the car isaccomplished usually by a minimum number of passes of the machine alongthe length of the car. The machine in operation has been found toinvolve unusually low maintenance cost and to be highly eilicient.

While the invention has been described in connection with the unloadingof coal from railway cars, it is to be understood it may be used forunloading other material from other vehicles and containers, and hencethis invention is not restricted to the present disclosure otherwisethan as dei-ined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A material unloader comprising, in combination, a carriage, spacedguide bearings on said carriage, a blade, means disposed on saidcarria/ge for carrying said blade, said means comprising a plurality ofsets of telescopic sections, each set being individual to a guidebearing, the lowermost section of each set being secured to the bladeand the uppermost section of each set passing through one of said guidebearings, and means for actuating said blade to effect unloading of saidmaterial.

2. A material unloader comprising, in combination, a carriage, spacedguide bearings on said carriage, a blade, means disposed on saidcarriage for ycarrying said blade, said means comprising a plurality ofsets of telescopic sections, each set being individual to a guidebearing, the lowermost section of each set being secured to the bladeand the uppermost section of each set passing through one of said guidebearings, and means for raising and lowering said blade, said lastmentioned means being constructed and arranged to permit the blade todrop into the material to be unloaded under its own weight.

3. An unloader for material in a container comprising, in combination, acarriage mounted to travelV above said container, spaced bearingsupports onsaid carriage, a blade, a plurality of sets of telescopicsections, each set being individual to a bearing support, the outermostsection of each set passing through one of said bearing supports and theinnermost section of each set being fastened to said blade, means formoving said carriage, and means for elevating said'blade to cause saidtelescopic sections to be moved into nesting position with the outermosttelescopic sections passing through said bearing supports, said lastmentioned means being constructed and arranged to permit said blade tomove under its own weight in a downward direction.

4. A coal unloader for a railroad car comprising, in combination, acarriage arranged to travel above the car, a plurality of bearingsupports extending in a downward direction from said carriage, aplurality of sets of telescopic sections, each set being individual to abearing support, the outermost section of each set passing through oneof said bearing supports, a blade of a width slightly less than thewidth of the car, said blade being carried by the lowermost telescopicsections of said sets, and means for actuating said blade to effect itsmovement into and withdrawal from the car.

5. A coal unloader for a railroad car comprising, in combination, acarriage arranged to travel above the car, a plurality of bearingsupports extending in a downward direction from said carriage, aplurality of sets of telescopic sections, each set being individual to abearing support, the outermost section of each set passing through oneof said bearing supports, a blade of a width slightly less than thewidth of the car, said blade being carried by the lowermost telescopicsections of said sets, and means for raising and lowering said blade,said last mentioned means being constructed and arranged to permit theblade to drop under its own weight.

6. A coal unloader for railroad cars comprising, in combination, acarriage mounted to travel on tracks disposed above the railroad car, apair of cylindrical bearing supports extending in a downward directionfrom said carriage, a paix` of cylindrical telescopic sections, theoutermost section of each set passing through one of said bearingsupports, a blade member of a width slightly less than the width of thecar, said blade member being carried by the lowermost telescopicsections, means for moving said carriage on said tracks, a motor drivenhoist, a cable connecting said hoist with the blade for elevating saidblade, and a clutch in the motor hoist drive whereby the motor for saiddrive may be disconnected from the hoist to permit the blade to dropunder its own weight.

7. A coal unloader as defined in claim 6, having a manifold main on thelower portion of said blade.

8. A material unloader for a container comprising, in combination, acarriage arranged to travel above the container, a plurality of bearingsupports on said carriage, a blade, a collapsible and extensiblemounting for said blade comprising a plurality of sets of telescopicsections, each set being individual to a bearing support, the outermostsection of each set passing through one of said bearing supports and thelowermost telescopic section of each set being fastened to 7 said;blade; and nieansforj aotuatin said bladeto effect unloading of saidmaterial from said conL tailler; v

9.; A: material unloader for a eoifitainel:l oomprisirigin combination;a cariiaglelarrled to; travel above the; "container,i a plurality ofhearing supports on said arria'ge a. -blao'le--oi a width collapsibleand exteifisilolewnfiouifitiifig for said'` blade.

comprising a plurality ofsets; oi telescopio, sec` tions, eachi setbeing indi-yidual tuI a.. bearing snppjnt@l the outermost. section ofeaeh set passing through one` of said bearing.- suppoits/v and theilower-'most telescopio setion of each setbeing.- fas-V tened tosaidlolado, and means for collapsing and extending said mounting to,-raise and lower said.

8j 1 blade; saicl lastimentionei meanslpeigng, opnstruetefl andairangecltofpermittlie bladeto drop intothe material to be unloaded under its ownweighti l Y v Y RAYMOND E. EXUM.

REFERENCES 'CI'TE The following refei'eces. are of rocoid'` in the le ofthis patenti

